PANAJI
The Cutbona jetty finally spurred the government into action after years of alleged rule violations overlooked by its own Fisheries Department.
Sources revealed that several critical safety regulations were blatantly ignored including the mandatory installation of toilets on fishing vessels, crew registration with the Labour Department and strict adherence to sea navigation systems like the Automatic Identification System (AIS) and Vessel Tracking Monitoring System (VTMS).
Government sources told The Goan, that these violations are rampant, particularly across the Konkan States of Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
The lapses date back to the implementation of the Merchant Shipping (MS) Act, 2014, which introduced unified vessel registration and a series of stringent safety norms expected to be enforced nationwide.
Sources explained that before 2014, each State was responsible for registering its own fishing vessels. However, under the MS Act, a unified numbering system was introduced, with vessels now bearing numbers like IMD-GA-01-XXXX, unique to each state.
Despite these legal changes, the vessels' registration was allegedly without fully complying with the Act’s requirements.
“Under the MS Act, vessels must be built to specific safety standards, including onboard toilets and proper crew registration. But none of these were implemented in Goa,” the source stated adding. “The State did not even have a manufacturing unit that met the requirements laid down by the Act.”
Even more concerning was the lack of safety compliance for smaller vessels like canoes, which have to be less than 12 meters in length and fitted with motors under 10 horsepower. While these allegedly remained exempted from the stringent regulations, larger trawlers did come under it. However, the source pointed out that the MS Act mandates safety guidelines for all vessels, big or small.
“Canoes are allowed to operate without these…VTMS should be installed on every vessel, regardless of size. But canoes don’t have them, and while trawlers are equipped with VTMS and AIS, many switch them off when at sea,” the source added.
The violations are not new. Efforts to enforce the law were made during the tenures of IAS officers Govind Jaiswal and Vinesh Arlekar, but both were transferred before they could see the full implementation of these crucial safety measures.
With the latest directive, the extent of the violations has now come to light, confirming long-standing concerns over the department’s negligence. Sources said the department is now also investigating why the subsidy regarding the safety of fishermen at sea and safety equipment – implemented by the Government of India under Blue Revolution – was never implemented for canoe boat owners/workers.
